Related

Each week, EW Community contributors chat about the newest episode of You’re the Worst while they watch. This week, Tamar Barbash and Sundi Rose Holt share their thoughts as they watch “A Right Proper Story.”

Sundi: Sex AND a slap fight … got to love these YTW cold opens.

Tamar: Ahhh, I’m having so many thoughts. And now Gretchen mailed those punishment letters for Jimmy. What a disaster.

Sundi: I am so into this new facet of Jimmy’s personality. He’s like an English Yosemite Sam.

Tamar: When his voice hits that upper register, it’s my favorite.

Sundi: What’s the word for “white trash” in Britain? ‘Cause Jimmy’s family is totally it!

Tamar: These people are so terrible, I am having trouble finding words. Is Gretchen going to love them?

Sundi: Of all of Jimmy’s childhood nicknames, “Crybaby Fartface” might be my favorite of them all.

Tamar: This feels like a balance episode. Last week’s subject matter was really heavy. Cue Jimmy’s atrocious family to come be ridiculous and bring the levity.

Sundi: I appreciate the balance. I need something to temper how sodden it can be. Sometimes you have to laugh at a funeral, just to break the tension. Cut to Jimmy’s garbage-people family. Doesn’t it seem like Jimmy has Gretchen’s parents, and vice versa? Like the writers’ room got mixed up about how to write them?

Tamar: Yes! Gretchen’s parents are exactly what I would have pictured for Jimmy. But why does Jimmy’s family speak with a different dialect? Did he work really hard to make himself sound more sophisticated?

Sundi: That totally seems like something Jimmy would do—affect a posher accent to sublimate where he’s actually from.

Tamar: Also, I’m finding the ages of these people to be confusing. I’m notoriously terrible at this, but these people all look approximately the same age to me. Not like a father and his children. Alabama English people! Nailed it.

Sundi: Yes … leave it to Lindsey to say what we’re both thinking.

Tamar: Lindsay and Sam is my secret ship.

Sundi: Lindsay and Sam, huh? Okay … I’m into it. Although that would be one heck of a high-maintenance couple. Just imagining it is exhausting.

Tamar: Ha, that’s true. But maybe that’s why it would work.

Sundi: She has to get divorced from Paul first. I’m not crazy about them as a couple, and I want her to move on from him, STAT. I never really fully invested in them together. It feels a little implausible.

Tamar: You’re preaching to the choir. I don’t get the Paul thing at all. And I’m glad they aren’t pursuing the Edgar line too hard.

Sundi: Me too. Pairing Lindsay and Edgar together seems limiting. That could easily paint the characters into a corner. I was shipping them at first, but I just don’t see a satisfying outcome.

Tamar: I liked the idea of them if it was going to bring on growth, but once it was clear Lindsay wasn’t ready for it, I’m glad they didn’t have Edgar pine.

Tamar: I really love watching foreigners experience the U.S. The whole “Why haven’t you bought a gun?” thing, for example. And then the supermarket.

Sundi: And now Jimmy’s dad owns a gun. Which seems dangerous, given their dynamic.

Tamar: Oh, god, this fight Jimmy is having with his family is so upsetting.

Sundi: His family is so awful, and he’s so obviously victimized by them.

Tamar: This show keeps doing this to me. Everything’s a joke, and then all of a sudden it’s so profoundly sad.

Sundi: Jimmy’s family of origin reveals so much about his motivations, but it makes him exponentially more sympathetic. Not to be too hard on Gretchen, but this family visit would be so much more fun if she was on her game a little more. I feel sort of betrayed by her inability to act. She should be taking up for him.

Tamar: The thing about Gretchen that is disappointing is just that last time Jimmy mentioned his dad, when she wasn’t in the middle of a depressive episode, she still wasn’t there for him. So I would have like to see if at this point in their relationship, she was able to be there for him. We can’t fault her, but I do wonder if she’s grown as a girlfriend.

Sundi: Taking up for him would have been the thing to do to demonstrate her commitment to the relationship.

Tamar: Right, but it’s not fair to hold her to those standards at this particular moment. I would have liked to see this unfold at a time when Gretchen was feeling well.

Sundi: And now Jimmy’s dad admits the very thing he’s wanted to hear all along: He read his book.

Tamar: Ugh, yes, but at the same time, he’s giving the advice to ditch Gretchen because it’s going to be a difficult road.

Sundi: But perhaps hearing it from his awful dad will motivate him in the opposite direction.

Tamar: I fear that pairing it with the words of approval he’s always wished for is going to lead him to follow it.

Sundi: I’m afraid you might be right about that. Especially since this bartender shows up at the most opportune moment to listen to his rant—something Gretchen wouldn’t do.

Tamar: Exactly. Jimmy and Gretchen work when everything’s easy. Because neither of them is prepared to be there for the hard stuff. And now Jimmy needs to decide he’s in it for the difficult part. And I’m not sure he can do it.

Sundi: I don’t know—I think Jimmy might surprise us. He’s the one who’s been emotionally available to Gretchen, for the most part. And he is willing to be vulnerable with her.

Tamar: I agree. But this is long-term. And it’s not very romantic.

Sundi: Yeah, but what a bummer for them to fall apart now. Just when they were starting to figure each other out.

Tamar: Having a partner who suffers from depression is challenging for the most emotionally available among us.

Sundi: Kudos to YTW for taking this on. The issue itself is so nuanced, it takes a deft hand to translate it to a 30-minute comedy.

Expression Of JoyThe Brady Bunch: Groovy! The Bradys: Ritual hugging Married…With Children: ”Oh, great.” Thirtysomething: ”Of course I’m happy for you. Really. But what about me? Why does it always have to be about you? The Flintstones: ”Yabba-dabba doo

Expression Of Rage

The Brady Bunch: ”Hmmm…” The Bradys: ”If you back away from something you really want, then you’re a quitter!” (the angriest any Brady has ever been) Married…With Children: ”Aaagh, God, take me from this miserable life!” Thirtysomething: ”I’m not angry, OK?” The Flintstones: ”Willllmaaaa!”

Typical ProblemThe Brady Bunch: Marcia and her rival both want to be the prom queen. The Bradys: Bobby gets paralyzed. Married…With Children: Al doesn’t buy his family Christmas presents. Thirtysomething: Nancy gets cancer. The Flintstones: Fred and Barney are staying out too late.

Typical SolutionThe Brady Bunch: The prom committee decides to have two queens. The Bradys: Bobby gets married. Married…With Children: They hate him. Thirtysomething: If only we knew… The Flintstones: Wilma and Betty decide to follow them.

Attitude Toward SexThe Brady Bunch: Never heard of it The Bradys: Omigod — even Cindy does it! Married…With Children: Peg: Yes. Al: No. Thirtysomething: They didn’t get all those kids by accident. The Flintstones: Prehistoric

How Spouses FightThe Brady Bunch: They don’t. The Bradys: Infrequently, but it happens Married…With Children: Tooth and nail Thirtysomething: They stop talking The Flintstones: Fred and Barney go bowling while Wilma and Betty max out their charge cards.

How Kids Get Into TroubleThe Brady Bunch: Greg takes a puff of a cigarette. The Bradys: Carol’s grandson steals her business cards and sticks them in the spokes of Bobby’s wheelchair. Married…With Children: By committing felonies Thirtysomething: Ethan plays with a forbidden toy rocket. The Flintstones: They don’t.

How They’re Punished

The Brady Bunch: ”It’s not what you did, honey — it’s that you couldn’t come to us.” The Bradys ”Next time, ask.” Married…With Children: By the authorities Thirtysomething: It blows up in his face. The Flintstones: They’re not.

What Family Does For FunThe Brady Bunch: Takes special three-part vacations to Hawaii and the Grand Canyon The Bradys: Has flashbacks Married…With Children: Exchanges insults Thirtysomething: Talks The Flintstones: Attends showings of The Monster at the Bedrock Drive-In

Unsolved MysteriesThe Brady Bunch: How exactly did Carol’s first husband and Mike’s first wife die? The Bradys: What’s with Marcia’s new face and Bobby’s blonde hair Married…With Children: What kind of hair spray does Peg use? Thirtysomething: Why did Nancy take Elliot back? What do Gary and Susanna see in each other? The Flintstones: How does Barney’s shirt stay on if he has no shoulders? Where do Fred and Wilma plug in their TV?

Worst BehaviorThe Brady Bunch: The Brady children once made Alice feel under-appreciated.

Best Reason To WatchThe Brady Bunch: This is what life should be. The Bradys: They’re all grown-ups now! Married…With Children: Terry Rakolta hates it. Thirtysomething (Tie) This is your life. This isn’t your life. The Flintstones: This is what life might have been.

Best Reason Not To WatchThe Brady Bunch: Blurred vision from rerun overdoses. The Bradys: You’re all grown-ups now. Married…With Children: She has a point. Thirtysomething: After a while, you think it’s real. The Flintstones: The Simpsons